Swap-by-Spinel
by 616mcu
Summary: (Ongoing One-shots)(Spoilers for Steven Universe: The Movie) Because your favorite rubber-hose gem needs way more love in her life, here's some one-shots about a life where she helps raise Steven.
1. Chapter 1

_**I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL**_

**Okay, actually being serious, I loved the Steven universe Movie. Great music that I'm still listening to as I'm writing this, lovable character moments and interactions that I adore, and Spinel competing with Amethyst and Steven for my favorite character of the entire series. While the movie probably doesn't move much along in terms of the show's entire story, I love the fact it's basically a reaffirming of all the growth the show has been through, and I think Steven is at his absolute best here, still positive and upbeat, but also a little more weary, cautious, and even understanding of the situation. I love how he doesn't even try to defend his mother's actions.**

**Also, Pink is the true villain of the show. Now, I don't hate her, She's actually a great character and the good she did does outweigh the bad, but as a person, she's horrible. It doesn't matter if what she did was unintentional, your actions shouldn't be hurting people this badly. All in all, Pink is a well intentioned person, but she doesn't think about long-term consequences, the consequences Steven has to face throughout the series.**

**Anyway, because Spinel needs love in every conceivable universe, here's one where she replaces Pearl. Also, I'm going to mark this story as complete, but don't think I won't come back to this. This is more or less going to be a series of one-shots, and I'm not sure how many of these things there will be.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Sleeping, one of life greatest's blessings, and often a very overlooked gift. You can fight it, go against it, and even complain about it in the morning, but there's no denying the sense of refreshment it instills.

Of course, if you were over 6,000 years old and never once had the need to do so, then it could be hard for one to appreciate it's comfort.

That's what a certain rubbery figure was trying to comprehend as she watched over the young sleeping body of a three year old Steven Universe.

It wasn't like she planned on staring at the toddler all night. Well, she thought about doing it, but she wasn't going to go through with it. Greg Universe handled everything on the whole human care front, but every now and again, the little tyke tired him out too much for him to drive to Validia's, so he often resorted to sleeping against the temple entrance's wall with little Steven safely in his care.

"I don't get it. Why does he get to hold him all the time?" Spinel said to no one. Her arms kept twisting and looping in circles, trying to figure out the answer. "I was her best friend. I should be the one holding little Pi.., Rose." It was hard to keep everything in all the time, secrets, lies, and emotions. "Why does he get to have her all the time?"

It was already hard enough trying to understand the concept of babies at all, especially when Rose just announced one day she was pregnant. No warning, no indication that she wanted one before hand (except for maybe all those times she visited the hospital and stared at all the babies for hours. On the side note: she should do that again. It was fun seeing all the reactions those newborns had to her). It just kind of came out of nowhere.

What was weirder was that no one fought her on this. Amethyst just went silent, Garnet was strangely (albeit forcefully) supportive, and she herself, she didn't no what to think at the time.

She wanted Rose to be happy, but as her best friend, shouldn't she have been all that she needed. When Pink wanted a colony, she was there to cheer her on. When she wanted to see Earth, she was there by her side to enjoy the sights. When she rebelled against her fellow Diamonds and started a war that changed and challenged everyone's way of life, what kind of best friend would she be if she didn't poof thousands of solders for the sake of a rather confusing cause?

She said homeworld was wrong to make Gems the way they were. That Gems needed to find their own purpose, just like humans were able to. But she was happy being her best friend. If she wasn't made to be Pink's best friend, then she would have no friends. Or not exist. Or something like that.

Did that mean she was wrong to like being Pi.., Rose's friend? Was it wrong to want to be friends with her? Or was it right because it was something she actually did enjoy? Then what was right? Was the idea of something right an absolute, or was it something they had to come up with themselves? But if they were made to not choose, then how could she be making these decisions? Was...

Plop.

Spinel's head was inflating to emphasize the surplus of confusion swarming in, too the point where she lost her balance and fell over. She froze, thinking she might have woken the two, only to she both were still comfortably in slumber.

How could they sleeping when there was so much to know, to learn, to be confused about? Then again, everyone got most of their freak-outs during little pink's 4th month of being alive. Snow covered the entire city, and the Gems decided to finally get to know little Pink, as well as ease whatever tension was between Greg and them.

Garnet and Amethyst waved their white flags in the form of gifts: a razor and extra big diapers. Practical gifts, probably, but it Spinel all the more happy to be there. Figured that the only fun Gem would know exactly how to make her little pink happy. She summoned three bubbles from the palm of her hands, and she juggled. She twirled, flipped, kicked, she did practically every trick she had mastered while performing for best friend. It only made sense that what made her Diamond happy made little Pink happy.

And, it worked.

He smiled. He laughed. He looed at her and gave her the biggest smile she could muster. A smile. Validation that her existence mattered. She attempted at times to make the other's smile. Amethyst occasion indulged her, Garnet just outright turned her down, and apparently it was considered 'unnatural' by humans to constantly twist there heads 360 degrees while bouncing on pogo feet, so she was often left bored.

But little pink saw joy in her antics. He didn't tell her to knock it off, or to grow up, or to stop moving like steamboat willy(whatever that meant). He actually didn't talk at all (kinda made Garnet's suggestion of a dictionary a little less silly in hindsight.), but he didn't need to say anything. He smiled, he reached out for her, he wanted to be around her, he latterly glowed because of her.

(and afterwards their was a lot of yelling, shapeshifting, confusion, stealing, and potential murder, but that wasn't important now.)

The point was, Spinel was the happiest she had ever been in a long time, and ever since then, she'd never seen little pink that happy either. Granted, seeing little Pink was a bit of a tricky thing with the threat of monsters ever other day, but come on, who else could ever make the little guy happier?

That's what her purpose was now! She was supposed to be somebody's best friend, and little pink needed a best friend. It was obvious. For now on, she would be the only friend little pink would ever need.

"Come on little Pink. We have a lot of fun in our future." Spinel whispered, elongating her arms to reach out for Steven. It was pretty difficult not to wake up either of them, especially with one being fragile in so many pathetic ways, and the other being a baby. Fortunately, fate seemed to be on her side tonight, allowing her to lift little pink from the dad's grasp and into her own comforting hold.

_"Someday, somewhere, somehow, I'll love again. I just found, someone."_

Pink wasn't here. In a way, Spinel lost her 6,000 years ago when she came to earth.

_"Someone, who treats you, better. Someone, who wants me around."_

Rose wasn't Pink. Pink was innocent. Pink was silly, happy, a true friend she could find purpose and life in.

_"Someday, somewhere, somehow, your going to feel found."_

Rose, Rose was an ally. An associate. She could still be happy, but, maybe, maybe Spinel wasn't one of those things anymore to her. Maybe that's why she had no problem disappearing on all of them. But Steven needed Spinel, probably even more than Spinel needed him.

The baby boy snuggled in her arms, lightly breathing as he embraced the arms of his crying caretaker.

Spinel would never disappear on Steven. She would do anything for him. She'll do it all for him.

_"Today, right here, right now, I already feel, found."_


	2. Start of a secret

**To all that asked-An explanation on why Pearl isn't here will be given later.**

**Guest-That was that feeling I was hoping to convey in the last chapter. As much as I love her, I don't think Spinel is cut out for a motherly role, something I will explore in future chapters, but for now, I'm writting fluff.**

The Keeper of Worlds-**Yeah, Spinel will have a much different reaction to Connie.**

**I just love that Spinel is like the one thing from the series practically everyone in the fandom can get behind.**

* * *

"Spine-nel! Spine-nel! Spine-el!" A cheering 5 year old cried out. Little Pink was sitting all alone on the beach front, looking happy, if a bit lost.

"Spine-nel! Spine-nel!" He wasn't really the best with words, or reading, or memory come to think of it. At this point, Spinel heard the mispronunciation so much she was convinced it was her name and everyone else had been saying it wrong.

At least that was the excuse she would tell him.

"Coming, my little diamond in the sky!" Spinel bounced to the little one's side like a hyperactive spring. The other's had gotten bust building a house in front of the temple for when Steven eventually moved in with them. She attempted to help them, but apparently everyone else thought her efforts were more suited with keeping Steven distracted. Not that she didn't mind. If everyone else thought Steven was better off with her, than she wouldn't argue. "What'cha need little pink? A smile? A giant smile? Please tell me it's a smile. I don't think my face is capable of doing anything else."

"Well, it's smiling related." He said in what she assumed was a happy tone, but it was the way he carried him that concerned her. Head down to the side with eyes staring away at nothing. It was an expression she saw way to often on other's.

"Steven, what's wrong? What's making you sad?" She asked as she stretched down to his level, slithering like a snake as she surrounded him. "You should never be sad. I'm going to make it so it's illegal for you to ever be said again."

"You can't do that."

"Oh really? Watch me." She poked him furiously. "By my powers that be, I command you to stop feeling sad!" Her poking turned into ferocious tickling, making the boy fall to the sandy ground. He was laughing, so mission accomplished. "Hah, see, happy now?"

"A little. Thank you, Spine-nel. That's why your the happiest person I know." Saying that spark a little realization in the boy. "That's kind of why I want to talk to you. How come the other's aren't as happy as you?"

"Well, I set the bar pretty high, little Pink. From my point of view, every-one's as dull as a rock." She scuffled the boy's head. "Cept' for you of course. Your the one shinning star on a blanket of inky darkness."

"Yeah, but how come they never play with us. They say hi to me and smile, but they never try to spend time with me." True, that was probably part of the reason why Spinel hung around him so much(aside from the fact that it's just what she wants to do for eternity). Garnet took up the leader role after Rose, and she was pretty single minded with their mission. She never really did anything else. Amethyst half the time went out and did her own thing. What that thing was, that remained unknown, other than the fact she felt the need to sneak out at night to do it. "Do they not like me?"

"What?! How, huh, what?!" Definitely the last things she had on her mind. "Okay, first of all," she shapeshifted her hand into a giant 1. "..if there is anyone not capable of loving you instantaneously, I'll personally hunt them down myself. 2nd, what can possibly ev'vah give you that idea?"

"I, I, I.." He awkwardly stammered. "I know Mom was someone they loved. I know you all did something great together, and I want to be great with you guys." She just had to wrap her arms around the little guy. "But I know you'd rather have mom here than me.."

"Definitely not." If she wasn't trying to press a point home, his taken aback expression would've been priceless. "Don't you ever try to say that. I'd rather have myself shattered to pieces if it meant having you in the world a little longer." She patted his belly button area. "And I pretty sure my Di.., my best friend would agree."

"But what about the others?"

She turned both ways. Good, they were still making the house. "Can you keep a secret?" Steven nodded. "Between you and me, Garnet and Amethyst have issues. Like really embarrassing issues that they would bubble me for if I ever told anyone."

"Really? I thought all old people were perfect."

"Eh, maybe a few people. No one can sleep or snore as loudly as your dad." Steven laughed. "But yeah, Garnet likes to act all tough and strong because she thinks she needs to carry everything, and Amethyst usually tries eating away her feelings, even though we don't need to eat. And, and I try to help them. I want to be their best friend just like I was Pi.., Rose's best friend, but it usually doesn't work."

"Well, you're my best friend." Spinel was pretty sure if she had a heart( an actual heart, not her heart shaped gem), it would've stopped beating. "You talk to me, and you make me smile. Isn't that what friends are suppose to do?" In Spinel's frozen state, tears fell from her eyes. "Spine-nel?"

"Sorry, it's.." She couldn't help herself as she threw herself at the boy, snuggling closely to him. "It's, It's just been a while since I've heard those words."

"Didn't mom say it to you all the time?"

Looking back on it, how many times did she say it? How many times did Pink Diamond say those words to her? Did Rose Quartz ever say those words to her? "Not as often as you would think."

"I can say it as many times as you want me to. Your my best friend. Your my best friend. Your my best friend. Your.."

"Okay, don't go too overboard, at least not right now. You really don't know how much I appreciate that. You and me, we're different from the others." She placed a calm hand on his belly. "Our gems, they give us a special connection the others don't have."

"It's like we're apart of a team while still in a team." The young gem concluded.

"Yeah." Huh, it sort of was. "Yeah." She said more enthusiastically. "We can be a duo, a team, just you and I."

"You mean like a secret team?" The boy ooed.

"Exactly. Whenever we find ourselves alone, lets agree to always find each other, so we can never be alone again, and we can do whatever we want, play for as long as we want, and be together forever!"

"Yeah!" Steven yelled, before getting concerned again. "But what about the others? Shouldn't they be on this too?"

"Of course not! That's kind of the point of 'secret team', don't you think?" Now the kid was pouting. "Don't think about it too hard, little pink. It's not excluding them, we're still the crystal gems together. It's just, whenever we're not being the Crystal Gems. It's just when we're alone, and Garnet's being Garnet, and Amethyst's being Amethyst, we'll still be Steven and Spinel together. Doesn't that just sound lovely?"

"Yeah, I guess it does." The boy agreed, despite a little hesitation in his voice. "But does that mean I have to change the song I wrote?"

"YOU WROTE A SONG!?" Pretty much every head in beach city turned at that very moment. "Don't leave me hanging in suspense, play it!'

Taking out the ukulele he had placed to the side, Steven gleefully complied.

_"If your evil and your on the rise..._

_you can count of the 4 of us taking you down..._

_'cause we're good and evil never beats us.._

_we'll win the fight and go out for pizzas.._

_Cause we, are the Crystal Gems.._

_We'll always save the day..._

_And if you think we can't.._

_we'll always find a way!_

_That's why the people of this world.._

_Believe In!_

_Garnet_

_Amethyst_

_Spin-nel!"_

**"AND** Steven!" Spinel finished for him, throwing him up in the air.

"How'd you know my grand finale?"

"Steven, we're best friends, remember? I know EVERY-THING about you, even your spontaneous compulsion for music and singing." She paused for a moment. "Hey, you actually said my name right that time."

"Said what right Spine-nel?"

"Oh nothing, you little ball of pink goodness. Come on, let's show the others how amazing you are." She picked Steven up and placed him on her shoulders. He held tightly to her heart shaped ears(?) and slowly made her way towards the temple with a slightly bounce in her step, eager to make her time alone with Steven last as much as possible.


	3. Everything Stays Together

"Spinel." The monotone voice spoke to the pink gem. No malice, no interest, really no feeling could be felt in Garnet's voice. Not that she spent a lot of time talking about her feelings, at least not nowadays. "We need to go now."

"No." Spinel declared like a petulant child. "Steven's going to wake up in a few hours, and he needs someone to be around when he wakes up. He can't be alone."

"Dude, it's night. Steven's going to be asleep for awhile." Amethyst, already too tired of the same old argument, chimed. "So what if he eats breakfast alone.."

"HE'LL NEVER BE ALONE!" She snapped with a look that was downright murderous before going back to naively sweet. "Children can get into mischief if they're not given the proper attention. It said so in the book I read."

"Obviously you skipped the part on smothering the kid." Amethyst murmured. "And since when do you read?"

"Spinel.." Garnet's voice dripped with disappointment and patronization. "We don't doubt your ability to look after Steven, and you clearly care for him.."

"More than either of you from the looks of it." Spinel spat.

"Why you.." Amethyst charged at her, but Garnet held her back, picking her off the ground with one hand."

"..But you've prioritized far too many times. You have a duty as a caretaker and a Crystal Gem."

"..and I'm super-duper proud of being both! It's changed my life for the better, believe me!" Spinel laughed. "But you guys clearly have this down by now, it's not really necessary for me to be there. Besides, knowing how this goes, it'll probably be a few days instead of a few hours until you come back."

"Do you ever think that maybe we're gone so long because you're not there to help us!" Amethyst roared out, flailing everything as Garnet still held her in the air. "It'd be a whole lot easier if there was a super flexible, super strong, super-extra-good-at-shapeshifting-teammate to get it done!"

"I thought that's why we kept you around." Spinel intended for that to be a compliment, but it felt more like an insult.

"You know what, forget you." Amethyst plopped herself on the ground. "I'd rather be doing anything else than talk circles with noodle arms here." She placed herself on the wrapped pad and teleported. "Tell Steven I'm sorry he always has to be alone with you!"

Spinel appeared unhurt by the Quartz's words, simply crossing her arms as she made her way to the kitchen. "What? You expect me to do something about that? If she can't feel good about herself, than that's her problem."

"Is your problem with us, or is it with Rose?" Seriously, it pained her to keep hearing that fake name everyday. Rose this, Rose that: Rose never existed! If she spilt the beans now, maybe half the drama around their lives would be a little more tolerable. "I know Rose wasn't the best at keeping you in the loop.."

"Yeah, it only took her 500 years into the war to recruit me!" Her sarcasm drenched from her mouth. "I knew her way longer than any of you guys, I was there when she first formed! All you had to do was make-out in front of her one time and boom! Recruited on the spot!"

"Rose's ability to go on and off of homeworld was limited. You know the situation had to be more complicated than that."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Spinel absent-mindedly reached for flour, milk, eggs, and a bag of popcorn. "Well, unless your going to stay to eat, I believe you have to go stop Amethyst from killing herself."

"You mean getting herself.."

"I know what I said."

If Garnet was mad, she didn't show it. She step on the warp pad without another word, and in a flash, she was gone.

"I liked you better when you looked like cotton candy! You were so much more fun like that. More innocent. Lovable." She dumped the ingredients into a large bowl. "Stupid."

If only life could be a little more stupid.

* * *

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee you are! You best friend right here with the best breakfast you can ev'vah conceive!" Morning came, and just as she predicted, the other two weren't back and the 7 year old had arisen from his slumber. To think, if she had listen to them, then Steven would've been on his own starving, probably having to wait for hours until someone could make him something. Nobody deserved to be alone, cold, abandoned, drowning in solitude as the concept of purpose and duty make you derail your entire perspective on reality.."

"Spinel." Steven called out her name for the 4th time. She shook her head. "Are you alright? You looked a little scary for a minute."

"Sorry, just had a bad thought that shouldn't've been there. I'm alright now."

"Why don't you just fill it back with something happy? Usually when I think about stuff, I get happy. Like when I think of the sun, I'm happy to lay down and feel it's warmth cover me. Or whenever I squeeze my cheeks together, I think I'm a fish and feel happy to swim in the great big blue ocean."

"Ah, if only happiness was a disease, because you're so contagious! I could spread your joy all over the world and everything would be better." She watched him take a big bight out of the stack of pancakes. "Well?"

"It's, it's, it's amazing!" Stars glimmered in his eyes. "The whip cream enhances the syrup, and the butter of the popcorn really ties it all together!"

"Yep, a together breakfast, if you will." Spinel proudly proclaimed. "Bringing together my most favorite things! Time with my little pink." Spinel notices Steven not hoping in on the joy. "Ah, too much syrup?"

"No, it's perfect. I, it's just, whenever I think of something being together, I think of all of us together." Steven shook his head. "It's silly, I know.."

"No Steven, your silly. I'm silly, this situation is anything but silly." Spinel rested her head on the counter. "You don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to ever be alone. I, I know how important it is to be with others, and I don't want you to ever experience the isolation I had to go through."

"Was, was Mom bad to you?" Any other gem would've shut his mouth immediately. They would praise Rose, raise her pedestal higher. Spinel instinctually wanted to, but she was able to stop herself. She wanted to here what he had to say. "You don't talk about mom as much as the others, and whenever she gets brought up, you frown."

"You're smarter than the others realize." She rubbed his cheek. "She, I was her best friend. We played together, juggled together, sang together, even get lost together in our own garden. It was a little world, but a world of our own, away from trouble, away from duty. I would do anything for her, and, and she knew it." Her fist clenched hard.

"One day, she told me to stay still, that if I did, I would finally win. She left me behind for, for years." Tears formed from the white of her eye. "And I was happy to wait. To see her smile at my obedience. And she went off, doing amazing things for other gems. She made new friends." Her teeth grinded. "And she didn't bring me along."

"But you're here now."

"Yeah. I am." She brought the young gem close. "But I'm pretty sure I'm not suppose to be." Even after she joined Rose's little rebellion, it still felt like she was stuck in the garden, waiting for her best friend to return. "Everything around me changed, while I got left behind."

"Is that why your always hanging around me? Are you afraid I might get left behind?"

He had the right idea, it was just aimed at the wrong person. "Steven, I can't, I can't tell you how scared I truly am to get up everyday. I'm afraid to see no one there, I'm afraid that everything at once is going to happen around me, and I'm going to miss it." She squeezed Steven even harder. "And I don't want to miss a single second of your life."

"But your apart of my life too." Steven said. "We're all a team, and they want to be apart of your life too."

"I know Steven, I know. It should be easier, I've known them for centuries, but, bit it can just be so hard to connect with someone so easily, unlike you. You, your the first person to truly appreciate me." At another point, she could've said Rose did to, but then again, Rose wasn't Pink.

Pink was her friend.

Steven was her best friend.

Rose was her worst enemy.

Rose took away her first best friend.

She left her new best friend alone and motherless.

"You know, Amethyst said something earlier, about how you're always alone with me." She'll just leave out the context behind that insult. "If this is being alone, then I don't mind it at all."

"You'll never be alone Spinel. Not as long as am here with you." He snuggled closer.

Hm, this almost reminded her of happy times she had in the garden. The times it was just her and her best friend.

It felt good to have that back.

_Lets go to the garden.._

_You'll find something waiting.._

_Right there where you left it.._

_lying up-side down.._

_When you finally find it.._

_You'll see how it's faded.._

_The oth-er side is lighter.._

_when you turn it around._

_Everything Stays..right where you left it.._

_Ev-verything stays, but it still changes.._

The shape may be different, but it was still the same song. Steven was her best friend.

Just changed for the better.

She hoped it was a change that stuck.

_Ever so slightly, daily and nightly.._

_In little ways, when everything, stays._


	4. His Other Friends

**wow, really dusting off the cob webs for this story. Hopefully more to come soon.**

* * *

Let it be know that despite everything that has happen throughout her life, Spinel could only name a few of her worse moments in life on a single hand. Sure, one of those moments lasted 500 years, but other than that, she'd admit she's had a good life. The first worse moment was of course Pink leaving the Garden and forgetting about her. But Steven constantly relied on her, so it was easy to 'forget' about that.

The second came at Pink's 'shattering'. Sure, she knew it wasn't real, and what she did to that Pearl was rather unfortunate, but how was she SUPPOSE to react to her 'best friend' being 'shattered'? It still traumatized her to this day. She almost considered doing it for real once 'Rose' reformed, but the whole corruption blast thing happened, so they would've been like kicking a starving puppy.

The third was the 4-month agony she had to endure when Greg moved into Validia's house after her little pink was born. She didn't know what was there now, or if what was there even liked her? Knowing your worst enemy was gone forever was a relief, but there was always that underlining fear that Amethyst and Garnet seemed to be convinced of, that Steven, whatever he was, was just Rose in another form. She was so relieved when Garnet and Amethyst were discouraged from any of those ideas that day, Still, one of her greatest fears was that one day Steven would die, and all there would be left was Rose.

That's why she was determined to make Steven live forever, no matter what.

Which was what lead her to the 4th worse moment of her life.

The day Steven met Connie-I'm-too-afraid-to-make-friends-with-anyone-else-and-my-oversized-glassed-only-add-to-my-insecurity-Mahaswarren.

Now, why would the entertainer Gem have such a problem with the shy girl? Maybe because on the day Steven met her, it actually dawned on Spinel that Steven could have more than one friend.

More friends means divided loyalty, which meant her time with Steven would be significantly less.

And she needed to be around him at all times.

Spinel was confident she was succeeding in distancing Steven from Garnet and Amethyst, Spinel argued with them so much that they'd probably purposely prolonged missions just to stay away from her a little more.

Connie was an outsider. She had no reason to read by the beach everyday, other than to get away from everyone else. She had no obligation to befriend the little bundle of Roses she's dedicated her life to making happy. She had no reason to trust Steven would protect her from a rockslide, but like a stray cat, she never left once she got a little taste of cutie pie.

(She loved how she convinced him that was his actual middle name. Better than Quartz in her opinion.)

Perhaps Steven's all too giving nature was to blame. For whatever reason, Steven never really had a selfish thought. Okay, he whined a little too much when there wasn't a cookie cat to be seen, but still kind hearted. He still tried to befriend that Earlobes kid that worked at the big donut, and he hardly knew he existed.

Still, Steven giving nature was a stark contrast to his mother's selfishness. She wanted the Earth to herself, she wanted to run away from the problems SHE created. SHE chose to not suck up her problems with the Diamonds and just do her job. WHY OR WHY COULDN'T SHE JUST DO HER FREAKING...

Wasn't she talking about Connie?

Right.

Not easy hating two people, especially when you prefer one to be dead over the other.

Was she getting too dark right now?

Definitely.

Should probably lean away from scaring Steven.

Need to focus.

Right.

The day Steven met Connie.

* * *

"Yo, stretchy noodle arms, why are you spying on Steven?" Amethyst said causally without turning to the gem, who was leaning against the screen door, watching Steven's failed attempts at getting the dark skinned girl to notice her.

"Contemplating." On the one hand, Steven's social awkwardness was like eating popcorn, you're never satisfied with just one bite of it. On the other, Steven was actively paying attention to not-her, so this needed to end a quickly as possible.

"The little dude said he wants us to leave him alone. If he's going to fail at flirting, then at least let him fail in peace." This got a shapshifted hand mallet to her head. "Hey!"

"Steven's too young to date!" Spinel justified.

"He's what, 12?" Lucky guess. As if she cared how old Steven was, Which was precisely 12 years, 6 months, 2 weeks, 4 days, seven hours and 19 minutes. Not that she counted regularly. What parents wouldn't know precisely on the dot how old their kid was? "You don't care for him going on Gem missions, and he barely gets out of the house without you tailing him. He's going to be either a crystal gem or he's going to be human. You can't keep him in this middle ground where he doesn't do either.

"I'm not keeping him from anything!" Spinel crossed her arms. "I'm making sure he doesn't grow up too fast! He'll be ready for his first mission in about 50 more years!"

"Steven will be..

"HE'LL NEVER DIE! HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST SOMETHING SO DISTURBING, YOU HEARTLESS OVER-BAKED ROCK?!"

"I was going to say old, but whatever, you crazed looney tune knock off." Amethyst rolled her eyes as the house shook. "I'm going to do my job and find out whatever that thing is. You have fun being a creepy stalker."

"Stalker? Where she get that idea?" Spinel slumped before heading outside. "Well, better end this now before that harpy breaks his hear."

"I'm magic. Well, half magic, on my moms side." Steven's familiar voice rang like a beautiful harmony, though it was a bit more echoey than it should be.

"Steven, what are you doing?" Spinel ran up to them, and saw that he precious baby boy, as well as that human girl he was trying way too hard to impress, were trapped in a giant pink bubble.

"Spinel! You'll never believe what happened!" Steven's attention was turned to her, as it should be always. "I was making my way to talk to Connie, and before I could really do anything, a bunch of rocks started to fall on her and they were about to smash her into a pancake, but than I got in the way to push her out and the world turned pink and the next thing I knew this bubble was surrounding us!" Did he have to make almost dying sound so cute? "Oh, by the way, Connie, this is Spinel, one of my magical guardians, Spinel, this is Connie, my new friend." Steven turned to her. "Are we friends yet?"

"I'm, I'm not sure. I think so? I have read a lot of books about life long friends meeting in the most unlikely of circumstances, so maybe this is one of those circumstances? I hope so." Connie shrugged. "Maybe we should get out of this bubble before we decide on anything."

"I couldn't agree more." Spinel happily said. "Now, not that I'm not proud of you Steven, in fact, I'm making a special together breakfast for dinner tonight.."

"Yay!"

"..but we should probably get the little lady out of there before her parents wonder where she is." And hopefully the girl would be to weirded out by the experience and never come near him again. "So drop the bubble now, please."

"Got it." He cheered. "So how do I do that?"

"Oh boy." Glad you aren't here Rose Quartz, it's not like you could've left a note explaining how your OWN kid could use your damn powers. "Don't worry, Pi-Rose did this on occasion, and I've learned there's nothing truly unbreakable in this world."

"Except our friendships with each other?" He happily asked.

Oh you cute, naïve little sap. "Yes, little pink, of course." She raised a giant fist. "Now don't be alarmed, I'm just going hammer that bubble until it pops."

"Wait, I don't think.." Connie worriedly tried to back away, only to fail because she was in a bubble.

slam

Nothing.

BAM

Still nothing.

WAPOW!

"OH COME ON!"

"It's okay Spinel." Steven tried to reassure her, not liking where the anger was coming from. "Maybe we can head into town and see if anyone there.."

"Nonononono no!" Spinel immediately turned down the idea. "We're dealing with magic, Steven. Humans with their simple and feeble minds can hardly understand what we go through. We're of a higher caliber then they are, they're hardly worth your time." She turned to Connie. "No offense."

"None taken..I think."

"After all Steven, what is it that I always say?"

"If you can't solve a problem with love, you got to punch the problem with all the love you got."

"Exactly." Spinel made her fist even bigger. "And I got plenty of love to spare!"

* * *

Apparently, her love wasn't enough to match the power of the young diamond. She didn't know whether or not to feel pride or sorrow at that realization.

She did everything she could to get them out of there. Spinel used giant fists, giant feet, shiftshaping into a wrecking ball, a monster truck, a giant sword, she even got that creepy kid that was the son of that painter lady Amethyst hung around a lot to use one of the boat harpoons to get it to pop. In retrospect, maybe she shouldn't have left the kid alone after that. His eyes seemed WAAAAAAY to happy at the carnage.

But what irritated the Gem even more was the girl, who Steven still seemed to want to know. At some point, the two eventually stopped paying attention to the world around them and started talking causally like they were friends and this was an everyday occurrence.

Okay, stuff like this WAS a daily occurrence, but the human girl shouldn't be the one trapped with him!

Only she had the right to be trapped alone with Steven.

"And then Spinel went up to Lars and said 'That's too bad. Most people like jokes, so I'm sorry you're so miserable all the time'."

"HAHAHA!" Connie laugh was cute. Too cute. Steven was already falling for the cuteness. Damn it. "And she did all of that while standing on her head while balancing you, the donuts, and the coffee machine?"

"Yeah, Amethyst likes to eat the grinds, while Dad comes by everyone once in a while for a cup. Other than that, it's only me and Spinel."

"Really? What about any friends? Don't you hang out with anybody after school?"

"What's school?"

"...I think my mother would have a heart attack if she ever heard those words out of anybody."

Stop making him curious! Steven had her, and she was over 6,000 years old! What good did a dusty old building full of old people and bratty snots do for anybody!

Steven shouldn't have to make other friends.

There's no need for other friends!

"STOP TALKING TO HIM!" Spinel, in her own fit of rage, punch the ball again with all of her might, sending it flying, straight into the ocean.

"HAHA! There. She's out of sight. With Steven. At the bottom of the sea." 3, 2, 1,...

"I IMMEDITELY REGRET MY DECISONS!"

Why! She didn't mean it! Ok, maybe she meant it just a little, but it was suppose to be just that nerd girl in the way! This was all her fault! If she didn't exist, then Steven would've just hung around her! That's how it was suppose to be always...

"We're free!" Steven's voice yelped from the water. Okay, it popped, that's once less piece of guilt lingering in her mind.

Then, from out of nowhere, a giant worm appears.

Seriously, if she could, she would bring Rose back just to shatter her for real.

Go off and rebel they say. Be with your best friend, she said.

"Okay, that's enough, everybody out of the water!" Spinel grabbed them both. "Lifeguard Spinel is on duty!" She sprang into action. Literally turning into a giant spring, before sending a gigantic headbutt right into the worm's mouth.

"Whoa, okay, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life." Connie said as she and Steven watched the fight from a distance. "It's like I'm watching a cartoon from the 60's combined with modern day action."

"You should see her with a hammer...no wait, she's using it now." Steven responded. "Sorry about trapping you in a bubble, and for almost dying. That's on me."

"NO, no, don't blame yourself, I had fun today." Connie smiled. "Definitely the most exciting day I've had in a while. Dangerous, but exciting."

"You're not upset?"

"Of course not! You're amazing! Your friend, she's amazing!"

"So, you wouldn't be opposed to coming back?"

"Why would I?" Connie took a look at the setting sky. "Oh, I probably should make my way back home now. My mom will worry."

"I know what that's like. You wouldn't believe how long it was before Spinel took me for my first donut." Connie left with a laugh and a smile that forever imprinted on the young gems mind, before his attention was brought back to Spinel.

"Okay, I dealt with long, bright, and slimy back there, you okay?" Spinel check him over, cupping his cheek. "That mean old worm didn't take a bite out of you or anything."

"Of course not! You saved us! And Connie thinks we're both cool, so I now have another friend!"

"Really?" Damn it, she was hoping the girl would've ran off in a panic, now she has to deal with her again?! "What did you say about me? What did you say?"

"Just that your the coolest friend that I have!"

At least that wasn't going to change any time soon.

But Connie was still in a picture.

That wasn't a chance she was willing to take.


End file.
